Barilla, you know the pasta, is the most recent in the string of companies to begin a siege against homosexuals and homosexual couples as the new normal nuclear family.
Wednesday night, Barilla CEO, Guido Barilla, made some comments on an Italian radio station about the issue of homosexual families being depicted in Barilla advertisements/commercials. The comment was blown a little out of proportion, in my opinion. I understand his comments were directed to treat homosexuals as the perpetual “other” in terms of modern 2013 society, but as Michelangelo Signorile from the Huffington Post explained, Mr. Barilla was raised in a culture and society of spoiled men. Women waiting on hand and foot to their sons, husbands and fathers for their entire lives. The idea of homosexuality in a culture that prides their food as “mother’s comfort food” does not see men acting as women act.
That being said, and also playing devil’s advocate, is it really all that disgusting to see to men together now, in 2013? Hollywood will continue to churn out various sitcoms with strong gay characters, we see lesbian/homosexual couples all over the news and primetime, and some of the most popular fads and fashions emerged from gay culture. With the way the world has evolved over the years, I cannot imagine why so many people would be completely against the idea of people being themselves and loving who they love without considering whether it is acceptable or not.
Considering what milestones the world has gone through, we will be dealing with the stigma of homosexuality for a considerable amount of time. Slavery still exists in the world and we are well aware that racism is rampant in some major civilized countries. I see people like Harvey Milk connected to others like Martin Luther King Jr. and Alice Paul as a strong representative activist for HUMAN RIGHTS. HUMAN RIGHTS to do whatever you want to do in any place you want in the world with other humans.
But just because people like to watch the cute gay couple on Modern Family, The Ellen Show, or Rupaul’s Drag Race does not necessarily mean these same people want to see that gay couple, an Ellen, or a man dressed as a woman in their neighborhood Wal-Mart or Chik-Fil-A. As humans with rights, we who support LGBT culture should also allow those, like Mr. Barilla to express his personal feelings. But that doesn’t mean we have to like it.
Related articles
- Barilla says no to gay couples in advertising (theartofhype.wordpress.com)
- Barilla chief’s comments about gays spark calls for pasta boycott – Chicago Tribune (chicagotribune.com)
- Michelangelo Signorile: Why Barilla Pasta CEO Is So Clueless About Gays (huffingtonpost.com)
- U.S. Division of Barilla Apologizes for Chairman’s Anti-Gay Remarks (towleroad.com)
condesending. 